The time has come to announce the five tech firms we’ll be featuring at AdviceTech Catwalk next month.
We received 25 applications in total from early stage firms in the process of developing tech that aims to fix deep-seated industry problems, bring new services to the profession and generally help make the advice and planning process more efficient.
It’s fair to say we were blown away by the calibre of the submissions. Each and every application is bringing something new to the table, and that made judging in equal parts challenging and hugely enjoyable.
There are more interesting firms out there than we can fit into one event, so we’ll definitely be returning to some of the emerging tech we’ve had a sneak preview of at future events.
After several rounds of judging and debate, we’ve landed on a varied mix of companies with each showcasing tech that is different from the next, and solving different challenges for the advice profession.
The final five
Drumroll please…
(in alphabetical order)
- Avenir: Suitability reporting and customised investments through direct indexing
- Estgro: Software for estate planning and intergenerational wealth
- Firenze: Portfolio lending for advisers, wealth managers and platforms
- Saturn: AI back-office automation and compliance system
- ZeroKey: Web app that aims to remove the need to manually key data
What the High Inquisitors say
On the day each featured firm will do a quickfire demo and walkthrough of their tech, before being grilled on their proposition by both you, the audience, and our expert panel (aka the High Inquisitors).
Challenging the firms will be:
- Adrian Durham, founder and group CEO, FNZ
- Alex Cowan-Sanluis, CEO and co-founder, Platform One
- Helena Wardle, founder, Money Means
Alex says: “I want to see some genuine innovation in products and services that meet a real need for advice firms, and I’m sure the five featured fintechs are going to be very impressive in that regard. But the market is tough, and money isn’t as cheap as it was, so I’ll be looking to see if they’re creating companies with defensibility for the longer term, not ones reliant on large marketing spend and fast growth.
“No business is totally defensible but it’s important for firms in today’s climate to be focusing on embedding long-lasting competitive advantages and solid numbers into their plans. The fundamentals are key, and I want to know what moats they’re building around their businesses.”
Helena says: “One of my core frustrations with us as an industry is we have good intentions badly executed. We have so much potential in technology. There’s so much opportunity for us to make a difference in how we do our day job and how we serve clients, but we are not really scratching the surface on truly innovating.
“What’s also important is usability. It’s very easy to build tech that looks great and has all the bells and whistles, but then does absolutely bugger all that’s useful. So what I’m looking for is: Is it practical? How will it fit into how we run our businesses? And is the return enough to invest in that tech? I want to see if people are listening to the frustrations advisers have, and understanding their pain points.”
A word from our sponsors
Thanks very much to our sponsors FNZ and Aviva, without whom we couldn’t bring this event to life.
FNZ says: “FNZ’s mission is to open up wealth, so we’re excited to hear from pitchers whose ideas can help revolutionise the advisory experience, enhance client outcomes, and improve industry efficiency. We are particularly interested in innovations that further the mission of democratising access to wealth solutions. Good luck to all those presenting!”
Aviva says: “Sponsoring the lang cat’s AdviceTech Catwalk enables people to come together to showcase the amazing innovation and technology capability in our industry. This is something which is a key focus for Aviva. For those demo-ing and pitching their tech, it’s a great opportunity to demonstrate the latest developments, and we’re really keen to join in the discussion.”
Want to see the final five in action?
To join us on 20 June, book your place here
Look forward to seeing you there.
